What is Dillon Gabriel's ethnicity? Sooners QB's nationality and family background explored
Dillon Gabriel is having a great season for the Oklahoma Sooners. The redshirt senior quarterback transferred to Oklahoma from UCF following an injury-plagued season. Gabriel immediately got the starting quarterback role and justified the trust Brent Venables has in him.
Gabriel started his 43rd college football game on Saturday against the Texas Longhorns. As he prepares for a career in the NFL, it is fair to say he has had a memorable college football career.
Gabriel's background, unknown to many fans who watch him, has contributed much to his growth and outlook. We look at Dillon Gabriel's ethnic and family background below.
What is Dillon Gabriel's ethnicity and family background?
Dillon Gabriel is a native American. His parents, Garrett and Dori, are native Hawaiians. Born in Mililani, Hawaii, on Dec. 28, 2000, he was raised in a close-knit family that has greatly influenced and supported his football career.
His father, Garrett, was a quarterback for the University of Hawaii in the late 1980s and still holds multiple school records. Growing up under the watch of a father with such a background in the sport helped Dillon gain a lot of exposure to the game. Garrett was more than just a father to Dillon; he was also his coach and mentor. This helped get Dillon's career going early.
Dillon is not the only child of his parents. He has an older brother, Garrison, who played Pop Warner football. He also has a younger brother, Roman, who may be on course to finding his feet in football.
Dillon Gabriel attended Mililani High School in Mililani, Hawaii, and played for the school's football team. He won the 2018 Gatorade High School Football Player of the Year for Hawaii. That season, Gabriel compiled 3,754 passing yards for 38 touchdowns. His numbers as he left high school were nothing short of amazing, padding for 9,948 yards and 105 touchdowns.
In 2019, Gabriel committed to the University of Central Florida, earning the starting quarterback spot in his freshman season. He passed for 3,653 yards and 27 touchdowns as a freshman. A broken clavicle in the third game of the 2021 season ruled him out for the rest of that season.
In January 2022, he announced his transfer to the Oklahoma Sooners. Gabriel reportedly flipped his commitment from UCLA to play for Brent Venables.
He led the Sooners' offense in the 2022 season, throwing for 3,168 yards and 25 touchdowns. He rushed for an additional 315 yards and six touchdowns. His impressive form has continued this season as the Sooners remain unbeaten after six games.
Dillon Gabriel is one of the most consistent quarterbacks in the country and looks likely to take his football career farther than his father.